Assembled camouflage material of interlocked separate units

ABSTRACT

Flexible material in sheet form suitably decorated for military camouflage purposes provided in separate units or modules of hexagonal configuration with male and female fastening devices arranged in alternate groups which are co-extensive with sides of the hexagon to facilitate ready connection of a plurality of modules with the edges of each connected to edge of others to provide a large, continuous sheet having camouflage characteristics.

i "'5' v *1 U miefi Rates iaiem [1 1 ,561,632 Spaniel 1 May 9, r972 54} ASSEMBLED CAMOUFLAGE 2,428,972 10/:947 .lackler et al ..l6l/'36 x MATEREAL G2? INTERLQCEQ-LED 2,388,297 11/1945 Slaughter r 161/33 SEPAPATE UNITS 2,714,156 7/l955 Robertshaw ..16l/36 X {721 inventor: Joseph A. Spaniel, 245 South Van Ness prir'm'il'Emmllllef-Philip Dier Ave S Francisco, C lif 9 03 Attorney-Fryer, Tjensvold, Feix, Phillips & Lempio [22] FiiCdZ Sept. 23, 1963 {57 ABSTRACT [21] APP! 176L690 I Flexible material in sheet form suitably decorated for military camouflage purposes provided in separate units or modules of 52 u.s. c1 ..161/37,24/20i. 161/38 hexagonal Configuration with male and female faslefling 6U48' 161/53 devices arranged in alternate groups which are co-extensive 5 H in" "532-0 3/) with sides of the hexagon to facilitate ready connection of a 1 581 Field 0: Search 161/36-38. 44, plurality of modules with the edge-S of each Connected 1O edge l6l/53.54.ll4 1i2;24/2Q1B of others to provide a large. continuous sheet having camouflage characteristics.

{5 6} Referm Cmd 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,351,142 6/ l944 Mitchell ..l6l/l l2 je a ASSEMBLED CAMOUFLAGE MATERIAL OF INTERLOCKED SEPARATE UNITS Camouflage material comes in several forms. Often it is or dinary canvas or burlap painted or dyed to present an irregular pattern when viewed from a distance. Nets interwoven with multi-colored strips of burlap or like material are also used. The present invention may be used with any conventional camouflage material and its purpose is to provide the material in modules of small size which are designed to be combined in groups to camouflage large areas.

A better understanding of the invention will be gained from the following specification wherein it is described by reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view ofa group of modules of camouflage material constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the female fastening members employed in joining the modules;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of one of the male members; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail of a part of the two fastening members combined.

Each ofthe hexagonal areas shown at in FIG. 1 represent a piece of camouflaged material which may be used in itself to camouflage a small area such, for example, as a gun emplacement or any small piece of equipment. When greater areas require camouflage, any desired number of the modules shown at 10 are joined together by male and female fastening members shown in FIGS. 3 and 2 respectively.

The basic configuration of both types of the fastening members is such that they may be extruded and then separated or cut into pieces an inch or so long and perforated for the reception of rivets shown at l 1 or other fastening means. Each has a bifurcated area 12 through which the fastening means extend and the female member shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a slotted tubular area 14. The male member has a circular enlargement 15, the major portion of the length of which has been kerfed with a tool to provide a slot 16. One end of the male member 15 is slightly upset as by the use of heat and pressure to provide a rim or flange 17 also shown in FIG. 4. Since both members are resilient because of their slotted construction, the flange 17 will snap into a securing position after it is passed through the tubular portion 14. A similar flange may, if desired, be formed at the opposite end of the male member to retain it against sliding out of position in either direction. The fastening members are preferably made of a plastic having a dull surface and may be made in several different colors, if desired, so not to present to view a regular pattern when they are used in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1.

While dimensions may, of course, be varied, the modules 10 may typically measure 8 to 10 feet across and the fastening devices at their edges may be spaced 10 or 12 inches apart.

Because of the use of hexagonal modules, an irregular pattern is produced and because alternate edges of the hexagons are provided with male or female fasteners as designated by the letters M" and F in FIG. 1, any number of modules may be readilyjoined.

What is claimed is:

1. An assembled camouflage material comprising a plurality of camouflage sheet modules of identical size and shape. each of said sheet modules having a regular hexagonal shape thereby defining sheet modules with six identical outer edges, and sets of fastening members connected on each of said outer edges of each of said sheet modules for interengagement with fastening members on adjacent modules whereby said camouflage sheet modules may be conveniently assembled in camouflage material ofan appropriate size for selected applications in which each internal sheet module in the material is attached to at least six other ofsaid sheet modules.

2. The assembled camouflage material of claim 1 wherein the sets offastening members on contiguous outer edges of the sheet modules are ofan opposite type, one ofsaid sets being of a female type offastening member and the other said set being ofa male type offastening member whereby proper registry of said fastening members is insured in the assembled camouflage materialr 3. The camouflage material of claim 2 in which the fastening members are slideably interengaged by movement in the direction ofthe edges which they join. 4. The camouflage material of claim 3 in which the members have means to resist their separation. 

1. An assembled camouflage material comprising a plurality of camouflage sheet modules of identical size and shape, each of said sheet modules having a regular hexagonal shape thereby defining sheet modules with six identical outer edges, and sets of fastening members connected on each of said outer edges of each of said sheet modules for interengagement with fastening members on adjacent modules whereby said camouflage sheet modules may be conveniently assembled in camouflage material of an appropriate size for selected applications in which each internal sheet module in the material is attached to at least six other of said sheet modules.
 2. The assembled camouflage material of claim 1 wherein the sets of fastening members on contiguous outer edges of the sheet modules are of an opposite type, one of said sets being of a female type of fastening member and the other said set being of a male type of fastening member whereby proper registry of said fastening members is insured in the assembled camouflage material.
 3. The camouflage material of claim 2 in which the fastening members are slideably interengaged by movement in the direction of the edges which they join.
 4. The camouflage material of claim 3 in which the members have means to resist their separation. 